Monthly Archives: May 2014

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Dolly opens up about her choice not to start a family (Photo: theafricom.com)

The American dream has changed quite a bit over the last few decades. The house, white picket-fence, a dog, and 2.1 kids is no longer the driving force behind the aspirations of many American citizens. Still, we glom on to any stories in the tabloids or online having to do with our favorite celebrities’ personal lives, especially when it deals with their families. Why? Because family will always be an important aspect of American culture.

Country music icon Dolly Parton has opened up about her personal views on family and why she decided not to start one of her own during her legendary five-decade career.

“I grew up in a big old family with eight kids younger than me and several of my brothers and sisters came to live with me early on in my life,” Dolly told People Magazine. “I’ve loved their kids just like they’re my grandkids, and now I’ve got great-grand-kids!”

Dolly has always been upfront about her love for family, so why hasn’t she had kids of her own? According to her, it just wasn’t meant to be. “I often think, it just wasn’t meant for me to have kids so everybody’s kids can be mine.”

Though she’s never had children of her own, the 68-year-old icon possesses a special affinity for kids, and they for her. And she has a pretty good idea why. “I think kids relate to me because they think of me like a Mother Goose or a Fairy Godmother,” she stated. “I’m like a cartoon character; my voice is little and I’m an excitable little person like them! I’m very childlike in that way, in my nature.”

Okay, maybe not exactly, but certain members of the popular British boy-band are apparently stoked (and toked) about filming their road trip “high”- jinks with their newest member, Mary Jane. Check out the full video below.

The video, which surfaced on Tuesday (May 27), shows band members Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson apparently smoking marijuana and joking about it as police officers drive alongside their motorcade during the Latin America leg of their 2014 Stadium Tour. The footage is a serious blow to the clean-cut image the band once projected to both their teenage fans and their parents.

Of course, the mainstream press likes to throw out words like “allegedly,” but I think we all know what’s going on here as band member, and de facto narrator, Louis Tomlinson gives us a play-by-play of the festivities. “Here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy Days!” Thanks for the color commentary, Louis.

It’s also made pretty plain that this isn’t a one time thing, as Louis gives us a little insight into Zayn’s regular pre-show “warm-up” ritual. “Zayn takes his job very seriously,” states Louis in feigned serious tones. “He makes sure he goes through a two hour intense warm-up before every show, just to get himself in the zone for the show. One very very important factor of Zayn’s warm up, of course, is Mary J herself.”

Could the band’s drug-fueled carelessness cost them in the future? In a moment of apparent lucidity, Louis verbalizes the same thought. “I’m just wondering now, we’re sitting here in Peru. Will this come back to me? Who knows? Maybe. Maybe not.”

Apparently, former child-star Macaulay Culkin has gone from making horrible movies to making horrible music. At least, that’s how Brits appear to view it.

According to Time.com, Culkin’s Velvet Underground cover-band, Pizza Underground, was doused with beer and mercilessly booed off stage Sunday after performing only a few songs at the Dot to Dot Music Festival in Nottingham. You can see why for yourself in this clip from their Saturday “performance.”

Culkin did his best at calming the ruckus crowd as they proceeded to lob pints of beer onto the stage. “Why are you throwing those?” he asked “I’d rather drink them.” His attempt at levity didn’t work, though, and it wasn’t long before he and his fellow band mates gave the crowd what they wanted. “That’s the end of the show. Good night.”

Six young Iranian citizens were arrested for making a Pharrell tribute video (photo: nbcnews.com)

Pharrell Williams‘ smash hit “Happy” has truly taken the world by storm. Since its release in November of last year there have been more than 1,500 fan tribute videos go viral on YouTube. The phenomenon is so popular that it has made its way around the world to the Islamic Republic of Iran… where fun gets smacked in the face and dragged off to jail.

On Tuesday (May 20), six young Iranian citizens were arrested in Tehran for posting a video online of them dancing to Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy.”

“After a vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police decided to identify those involved in making that clip,” stated Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia to the Iranian news agency, ISNA. ” He continued, “Following a series of intelligence and police operations and after coordinating with the judiciary, all the suspects were identified and arrested.”

Here’s the “vulgar clip” in question:

OMG! I am so offended! Please, lock these hooligans up and throw away the key!

This is just another outrageous display of further aggression against human rights by a government which censors even its own elected leaders. Only days before the arrests, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gave a public speech in which he encouraged his country’s ruling Islamic regime to allow its citizens more online freedom and decried government sanctioned censorship as “cowardly.” Meant for widespread television distribution, the speech was, nevertheless, ignored by state broadcaster IRIB. Ahh… freedom.

UPDATE:According to CNN, the six Iranians shown dancing in the video have been released by authorities. The video’s director, however, is still in custody.

It appears that Sir Paul McCartney has had to cancel the remainder of his 2014 Japanese tour due to illness. According to Rolling Stone, McCartney is under strict doctor’s orders for “complete bed rest” in order to fight off a suspected virus.

In a prepared statement, McCartney told fans that he was “really looking forward to playing Japan again” and apologized profusely. “Unfortunately my condition has not improved overnight. I was really hoping that I’d be feeling better today. I’m so disappointed and sorry to be letting my fans down.”

The former Beatle is expected to make a full recovery in the coming weeks and is scheduled to bring his “Out There” tour to the United States starting on June 14.

Rapper-singer M.I.A. is certainly no stranger to controversy. In March of this year she was slapped with a $16.6 million lawsuit by the NFL after “flipping the bird” to the camera during her live half-time performance at Super Bowl XLVIII. This time, however, she’s directing the controversy in an important and somewhat disturbing direction; the possible use of 3D printers to make real, working guns… at home.

3D printing is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object out of virtually any shape from a digital model. It’s currently being used for a variety of beneficial reasons including the manufacturing of affordable housing for underprivileged families. But in her new video for the single “Double Bubble Trouble,” M.I.A. envisions a future when such technology can be utilized to create weapons by anyone with the means to purchase one.

While this idea may seem like science fiction, it actually represents a real concern. The scientific community holds that 3D printing represents a new frontier of prosperity and longevity for the human race, perhaps even combining with medical research to produce human organs suitable for transplant. Humans are an enigma, however, often tainting things meant for a higher purpose and transforming them into instruments of destruction. What will the future hold for 3D printing? Let’s hope M.I.A.’s vision stays relegated to the realm of sci-fi.

It’s as if he never died. Michael Jackson has been turning heads and making headlines over the past several weeks, just like he did before his tragic and untimely death in June of 2009. His new hit single “Love Never Felt So good” (performed with Justin Timberlake) debuted at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, the official video has reached over 9.5 million views on VEVO, and the parent album, Xscape, is currently vying for the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

To top it off, Jackson rocked the Billboard Music Awards last night with a “live” holographic performance of another track from the Xscape album, “Slave To The Rhythm.”

The performance brought out an array of emotional responses, both positive and negative. While many MJ fans were tearful over the chance to see their idol on stage one more time, many others took to Twitter to voice their displeasure over the idea that the music industry continues to exploit Michael and make money at his expense.

This isn’t the first time a deceased music icon has been resurrected via modern technology. Back in 2007, Celine Dion performed a duet side-by-side with “The King,” Elvis Presley on American Idol. And in 2012, Coachella thrilled concert-goers with an amazing holographic performance from Tupac as he walked the stage and performed with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre (NSFW).

With how quickly technology continues to improve and break through previously set barriers, iconic rock stars of the past truly are becoming immortal… whether they want to be or not.